brooks



Sheets-sheet 2.

.'E.1J.'BR-ooK s. IIIETALLIC- SEALS.

Patented .Tu-ne 13, 1876..

Jn'JzFlaJg, 116:13. $376.94; izan Flam?.

Jmrzo. Flam. Frese?.

INVVE'NTOR wiTNE-ssfs' Mirra t ames-evenaar la instantie ssl-its.

Specitieation formingpart of Letters Patent No. 17S,2%, dated June i3, i876; :application tiled 1 April 6, 1876.

To all 'whom #may concernv Be it known that l, EDWARD J. BnooKs, of

' the city oiNew York, in the'county'and State of New York, have invented a new and usefulmprovement in Metallic Seals, ci which ,the following is a specification:

' This invention consists in an improvement on F leadfand-Wire seals" 7 for sealing tags upon packages, and for sccurin g the doors ol' railway 'freight-cars, and for other purposes.

The present device is a metallic seal having a shackle of sheet metal in combination with a sottmetal sealdisk constructed, with an orice cr orices to receive the ends of the shackle, the 4latter being securely flocked Within the .disk when the seal is pressed.

The'sheet-metal shackle is adapted to have its ends so roughenedby embossed lignres, pverbrations, c1' other devices, as to preclude their separation from the seal-disk. The saine is ,also adapted tohaveeinbcssed or perforated .therein anynaxne, number, or other device' which may require expression, or which will serve as means to prevent duplicating adestroyed seal. 4By doubling the longitudinal edges of the shackle very thin metal can be employed, andby simple lateral enlargements one or'morelabcling-tags can lbe formed in one' part with the shackle. In nearly every form which could be desired, the improved shacklel is adapted to becoinpleted at ne or 'two op` erations in a simple stamping-press., and scrap Vmetal can be utilized as the material. lt is also adapted to be sheared 'from plain, perlforated, or embossed sheet metalof suitable thickness.'

The parts of the improved' seal are also adapted to be put-together with the utmost facility, and the sealing operation is in no Way necessarily complicated by the use of the sheetmetal shackle.

Figure 1 isi an 4elevation of a combined shackleand tag for custom-house uses, illustrating this invention. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the same, bent as in use, with a leaden seal-disk adapted to receive its ends.l Figa' representsa,longitudinal section of thepressed `seals.Figs;4,.5,.6, fl, 8;,-9,l'0, ll, l2, 13,-and

14 are elevations cf hat shackles,iillnstruting` modiiications Figs. l5 `and 1,6 areyre'spectively, an elevation and'alongitudinal section lspondin g parts in the several figures.

Theixnproved custom-house seal represented in Figs. 1,2, and 3 may be taken as an illustration ol' the several features of the present invention. This seal consists of a shackle, A, of sheet brass, and a seal-disk, B, of lead. The latter has anorilice, b, and the. shackle has ends c c adapted to pass together into or through said orilice. The shackle is passed through or around theobjects to be sealed, or to which a labeling-tag is te be attached, and

its ends are brought together, as illustrated in Fig.2. The ends are then inserted into the seal-disk, and the latter is pressed in the usual manner, leaving the seal in the condition represented in Fig. 3.

To preventthe withdrawal ct" the shackle ends u a after the seal is pressed, these ends have been roughened by embossed figures c c impressed from one side of the blank, so as to,4

project in opposite directions outwardly Within the seal-disk. The soft metal is pressedinto and around the holding-surfaces thus formed,

'se as to securely lock each end against-displacement.

VTo provide for emplcyin g a narrow shackle of very thin sheet metal, when desired,the longitudinal edges d d have been re-enforced against tearingby doubling them, as illustrated. The shacklehas been Vutilized additionally-by embossing upon it letters, iigures,

'and devices e, to express necessary information, and to add another barrier against the fraudulent duplication of a seal i; and a labeling-tagli, of the required dimensions has been combined with the shackle by simply forming the latter with a suitable enlargement-for the purpose, as illustrated.

A2. to A19., inclusive, represent sheet-metal 'shackles constructed ci' vdili'evrent proportions,

with endsl c a2 c3, ot'ditterent styles, with ditferent locking devices el to 014,' inclusive, and

without any preliminary lockingdevice; with and without the doubled edges (1, and with and Without the embossed letters 85e., c, and with tag enlargements L2 L3' L4 of different forms, and without any such enlargements, none of which features are considered essential to the primary part of this invention. Bz B3 B1 represent differentscal-disks. In Fig. 7 sharp-pointed sliackle-eiids a are shown; iii Figs. 15 to 19, inclusive, ends' :f2 a2, which are fornied with relation to each other, so as to be interlocked before they are inserted into the seal-disk; and ii: Figs. 20 and 21 contracted ends a3 a, which are adapted to occupy different positions in the seal-disk. Separate oriices b1 b2 for the shackle ends are shown in Fig. 20. The seal-disk Bi1 (shown in Fig. 21) is cast on one end ot' the shackle, and has an orifice, b3, to receive thevother end. The sealdisk B4 (shown in Fig. 22) was similar to B, Fig'. 2, when impressed. The plain ends a. a of the shackle A19 were then inserted, and, after pressing thel seal, a puicli was driven through, forming a perforation, b4, in the lead and sheet metal, and turning upl the edges of the latter around the perforation, so as to effcctually lock the shackle ends in position. rlhe seal can be pressed and punched siiiiultaiieously with a press of special construction.

' The locking device of the shackle A2, Fig. 4,

consists of orifices c2 o1 punched in the respective ends. Any desired nuinber ot' such orifices can be employed, and they inay be of'any preferred shape. f

The locking device of the shackle A3 consists ot' notches cii c3, cut in its doubled edges d, and that ot' the shackle A4 consists of attached pieces of metal c4 c1, having outward and lateral projections. the latter passing through holes -in the doubled edges of the shackle. The locking device c5 c5 ot' the shackle A5 consists ot' angular perforations, with the displaced metal or portions thereof bent outward to form holdingli i is atthe rear ends ofthe orifices. Those of the shackle A6 .consist of plain longitudinal slots c6 c, and those c1 c1 of the shackle A7 consistl of longitudinal slots, having their sides iiicked, so as to forni rearwardly-inclined holding-teeth.

The locking devices o o9 010 ofthe shackles A, A9, A10, A15, vand'A,18 consist of teeth or serrations of dii'i'erent shapes, formed along the longitudinal edges ot' the ends, by nicks and notches oi' different forms. Those 011 011 ot' the shackles A11 consist of larger lateral teeth, with portions ofthe inetal t'ioni the intei'dental spa-ces doubled upon the outer sui'- i'ace ot' the shackle in the form of longitudinal lips 5 and those 012 012 of the shackles A1z A15 consist of roughened surfaces, like those ot' a grater, formed by simultaneously embossing and pert'orating the metal by means of a suitable punch. i

rllie locking device of the shackle A13 is designed to be one or more flanged orilces, 013, in each end, the flanges ot' one orifice fitting" into the other, as represented. In the illustration the iianges are serrated. They are readily formed in this shape by making 31g-sliaped cuts in the act of stamping out the shackle, then bending the shackle to bring the cuts together over a coi'icavity, and iinally driving a sharppointed punch through both ends at the prepared point.

The locking devices 014 016 of the shackles A14 and A1G consist of matching transverse corrugations formed in the two ends of eachshackle separately or together. The locking device 015 015 of the shackle A11, Fig. 20, consists of a curl, formed at each end by twisting the sheet inetal so as to cause the longitudi-4 nal edges' to assume a spiral direction within the seal-disk.

The shackle A15 has ends a a of different widths, the wider provided with orifices j' through which the narrower end is threaded and then rcbtent. Both ends are provided with holding devices, and both are iiiclosed within the seal-disk at their point ot' union; but the extended holding-surface of the larger end, and ythe interlocking of the smaller therewith give the required security.

The locking devices c 012 of this shackle are those ot' the shackles A9 and A, illustrati'iig the combina-tion of two or more of the described devices, or others possessing like functions.

The shackle A1G has oriiioesf2 in its tag enlargement L4, to provide for interlocking ends ofthe saine size, so as to prevent their withdrawal separately, one ot' the 'orifices being ot T shape, and the threaded end constructed with notches y, to forni a contracted portion which enters the narrow end of the oriiice, and is held therein. The interlocking point'is outside ofthe yseal-disk in this illustration.v The roughening device c16 of'this'slia-ckle is like that of the shackle A14. The shackle A1, Fig. 2l, has contracted ends, provided with the saine holding device c8 as the shackle A3.

AThe shackle A19, as before described, is a plain strip of sheet metal, without preliminary roughening, and is held within the seal-disk by punching a hole, b1, through its ends after they are inserted, illustrating the employment ot'locking devices in the seal disk or press, to perforate or indent the sheet-metal shackle.

The improved shackle may be niade ot' any available sheet metal of moderate flexibility; but, for some of the forins herein set forth, malleable sheet metal, such as tin or brass, is required, and these inetals are preferred for general use.

The seal-disks maybe made of pure lead, or of any soft alloy adapted to be shaped in a plier-press. f'

1 Sealdisks constructed withfilling projections, as described in F. W. Brooks Patent No. 172,698, dated January 25, 1876, inay bcv employed to advantage, in combination with sonie forms ofthe improved shackle.

' 1 ain aware that a metallic seal consisting ot sheet inetal and lead is not, broadly, new,

andd therefore disclaim the broad idea, and

i'mit' myself to the pecuiier combination and features of construction hereinafter set forth. I also disclaim any and all forms of wire and leaden shackles, as forming no part ot' the present invention. f

l'. claim as my iuventiony 1. The combination of a soft-metal disk,

havinga. single sealing-aperture and a sheetmetal shaekle with embossed ends, adapted to be inserted one over or upon the other in the sealing-aperture, substantially as shown.

2. A Het sealing-shackle, of very thin sheet metal, having ends a. a, adapted to be inclosed within e soft-metal seal-disk, and constructed with re-enforced longitudinal edges d d, as herein specified, for the purpose set forth.

3. A flat sheet-metal sealing-shackle, hrwing` ends a cv, adapted to be inolosed Within a.

soft-metal seal-disk, and providedwith roughening` devices c c et or neer its respective extremities, and permanent ietters, figures, or devices e in its intermediate portion, adapted to be formed at one and the sinne stamping operation, suhstentially as herein shown end described, for the purpose specified.

4. A sheet-metal sealing-shackle, having ends (t a, adapted to be inolosed withinn. softinetel seal-disk, and en intermediate enlargement,V L, to form a labeling-tag in one part with the shackle, as herein illustrated and described, for the pnrposeset forth.

EDWARD J. BROOKS.

Witnesses:

JAS. L. EWIN,

ABNER O. 'lI-IoMAs. 

